It was writer Richard Wright who famously stated that 'all literature is a form of protest.' It was his friend James Baldwin who famously replied to him by saying, 'perhaps, but not all protest is literature.'
It is James Baldwin's retort that resonates with today's dysfunctional culture.
The pithy retort of Baldwin's 'not all protest is literature' reminds me of a one Adam Rupeka.
Mr. Rupeka is the individual that most recently drove his car up from Troy to Saratoga Springs to bait a Saratoga Springs police officer by giving him the finger. Of course the officer was offended (and who wouldn't be) and pulled Mr. Rupeka over and pepper sprayed Rupeka in the face. And then Rupeka was arrested.I think he got what he asked for. I liken it to ordering a well-done steak and then complaining that the steak is too tough.
It used to be that alpha-males punched beta-males like Rupeka in the face when they behaved inappropriately. It was a perfect Darwinian arrangement. Assholes like Rupeka got a beatdown for their anti-social behavior. As a result, our law enforcement personnel could attend to more important matters and our court systems wasn't clogged with petty issues such as this.
In my humble opinion, Mr. Rupeka is a reactionary pretending to be a revolutionary. This is absurd to those who are paying attention. He is merely part of the lunatic fringe trying his hand at activism. He is no James O'Keefe. Rupeka's behavior is uncivil and is an affront to Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience.
Truth be told, Saratoga Springs has always been known for having a rogue police force. The problem with having some bad apples on the police force is with their union which is one of the most powerful in the country. It is exactly why I have advocated against unions for a long time. All unions seem to do, regardless of the industry is to protect bad employees.
I do not think that officer Nathan Baker should fired for pepper-spraying Mr. Rupeka. The problem that law enforcement faces is that so many citizens (especially in the black community) not only do not respect those in law enforcement, they no longer fear those in law enforcement. Therein lies the real problem. Police officers are killed in the line of duty everyday in this country. Are they killed by people who are afraid of them? No they are not. They are killed by people who have no regard for human life and no regard for their fellow Americans.
Our culture is broken and is in need of fixing. Too many nowadays think it's okay to break the law, disrespect others and are practitioners of being insulted and outraged merely for the sake of being insulted and outraged. Gimme a break.
Giving law enforcement the finger isn't protest. It is immature and stupid. Immature male behavior has always been a component of American life. There are way too many Adam Rupeka's taking up space in the culture. They should be shunned and not celebrated. We need to bring back respect, civility, and the idea of civic duty back to American culture.
Does Mr. Rupeka have a job? What does he do? Is he yet another adult-man-child living in his mothers basement and as a result, has too much time on his hands? Does he volunteer in his community of Troy? I am guessing he doesn't. He is a fraud and an imposter in a culture that seems to idolize such idiocy. I believe his fifteen minutes of fame is mercifully over.
I have to disagree. I agree that Rupeka is an obnoxious attention-getter, but it is not against the law to flip off a cop. Stupid and disrespectful, yes, but we, supposedly, hold our police to a higher standard. The officer should not lose his job, but he should be reprimanded and reminded that, absent breaking a law, someone being a jerk is something he should ignore. Drive on, officer.
ReplyDeleteRe: civility, I'd like to see more, too, but society as a whole is headed in the wrong direction.
Jill: We can agree to disagree but you are right when you say that as a society we are headed in the wrong direction. That alone could be the subject matter of another post.I still never found out what Mr. Rupeka does for a living. The fact that no one knows or cares is very telling in and of itself.
ReplyDeleteSo you are completely comfortable with police arresting people for actions that are not illegal, and courts have found are not illegal? Do we live in a police state where police can de facto "make" the law whatever they want it to be, instead of upholding the law as it is?
ReplyDeleteIt seems just from observing Saratoga police that they constantly violate the law but know they can get away with it with impunity. Police cars and bikes roll through stop signs and red lights without stopping as if they weren't even there (with lights off and obviously not on the way to any emergency). Saratoga police who want to question young people for anything (and others who might not know better) say that since 9/11 they have been given "federal power" as "federal agents" and anyone who refuses to answer their questions will be sentenced to at least two years in a federal prison (so much for constitutional rights). Bike patrol cops ride on the sidewalk illegally, dangerously swerving as close as they can to pedestrians as if they were using them as a practice obstacle course (a personal injury lawsuit in the making). And that's just the visible, commonly seen tip of the iceberg.
If the problem is just "a few bad apples", where are all the "good apple" cops that should be stopping them? How can the bad apple cops continue to stalk women, assault bar patrons, repeatedly strike a citizen and call him a "terrorist", engage in "sexting" while (mostly) in uniform, falsely claim they were assaulted, etc. (all of these news stories that can be looked up) if the supposedly numerous "good cops" aren't letting them get away with it?
Check this article -very last sentence - same Adam Rupeka???
ReplyDeletehttp://www.troyrecord.com/general-news/20100116/police-trained-to-deal-with-difficult-persons
Read it. He sounds like an operative. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteFasten your seat belts and pepper spray kids; the Adam Rupekas are about to come out of the woodwork! And just in time for racing season! Oh joy!
ReplyDeleteIf our cops ignore the baiting, like they should (unless a law is broken), then Rupeka goes away and tries it elsewhere.
ReplyDelete